Governor Ayodele Fayose with cervical collar on his neck, addressing party supporters after he had been revived.

By Anayo Okoli & Chinonso Alozie

OWERRI—IMO and Abia states chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday claimed that the encounter between the governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, and the police was a violation of Fayose’s human right by the police.

In Imo State, the PDP members led by the State Chairman, Charles Ezekwem marched to the Police Headquarters in Owerri where the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Dazuki Galadanchi, received their protest letter addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, IGP.

The letter read: “We, the State Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Imo State and the entire Peoples Democratic Party, Imo State observe with dismay the police brutality on the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose.

“This violation of human rights is coming just two days to the governorship election in Ekiti.

“We strongly condemn what is happening in Ekiti State. It was a sad commentary to our democracy that Fayose came out on television and was crying over brutality of police and the injuries he sustained from the incident in Ekiti.

“We therefore plead that you use your good office to ensure that the incident that took place in Ekiti does not repeat itself so as to avoid total breakdown of law and order in Nigeria. The whole world is watching Nigeria and it will be very bad if democracy fails in our time.”

Peaceful rally in Abia

Also yesterday, the PDP in Abia State held a peaceful protest in Umuahia, the state capital against the police brutality on Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and his deputy, Prof. Olusola Eleka, who is the party’s governorship candidate for Saturday’s election.

Led by the State Chairman of the party, Chief Johnson Onuigbo, the party condemned the attack on the Ekiti politicians and urged that caution be applied by the police.

Onuigbo later led a delegation of some party executive members to the Abia State Police Commissioner to register their grievance and gave him a copy of their protest letter.

Receiving them, the Police Commissioner, Mr. Anthony Ogbizi said the essence of the deployment of police personnel was to maintain peace and order and not for any police man to interfere in the process.

Ogbizi told them that the deployment of policemen was the prerogative of the Inspector General Police in line with the relevant sections of the constitution to ensure that peace and order is maintained. He however commended them for peacefully ventilating their grievance.

Incident, attack on democracy

The Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state, Chief Ukpai Agwu Ukpai has also condemned Wednesday’s police brutality on Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state, saying that it as an attack on democracy.

Ukpai said: “The action of the police against Fayose has heightened the call for state police to be allowed to come into play in the country because if there is state police, what happened in Ekiti state would not have happened.

“It is an open secret that a sitting governor was manhandled by the federal police; if a sitting governor with full immunity could be treated this way, then anything can happen on the Election Day proper,” he said.

“If a sitting governor could be so manhandled, it means that no one is safe in this country.”